Around Christmas we all get so excited for the presents we will get that year,and I know many girls who will be wanting a 'Cute Kitten' Or 'Cuddly Puppy' for Christmas,and in all honestly I've been there myself.

Now it worries me because just as soon as these people are getting animals just as quick they are posting on Facebook "Looking for a home for my Dog/Cat,can no longer look after"

Which is often known as,my pet is no longer a cute little baby anymore and its eating everything and costing me money!

The Bigger issue is that sometimes these animals don't get re-homed,instead there abandoned by people who no longer can care for the animal generally because they didn't think properly about the decision of getting a pet and the responsibility it in tails.

Of course this isn't always the case,and lots of animal around this season will go to loving family homes and get the care they need.

But I just want to remind every one,don't be fooled that that cute little kitten isn't going to climb up your Christmas tree..

As my little sisters cat jack as a kitten does here...

& That they won't roll around in your wrapping paper..

(Granted with some assistance here...)

But if you give them all the love & care they need you will have a friend for life.

I got my Mainecoon Nala,two years ago as a companion when I left hospital.

And she has give me nothing but happiness,so I thought I'd share with you some pictures to show you that all the toilet training,mess they make,scratching of furniture,vets costs,stumbling over there toys

(yes Nala is like a child..)

They are worth it all - so please this Christmas if your getting a pet,be sure it's for life,not just Christmas :)

I got this amazing product when I went to clothes show live a few weeks ago,for a steal at £5 for 4 products.

Now,After researching its retail price I was debating whether I should include this as it is rather pricey for a cheek product but it honestly is gorgeous and I will happily buy this again full price when mine runs out.

This is a gel blush and has a balm like texture which is beautiful to apply to the cheeks,it gives a gorgeous natural blush to the cheeks and is so long lasting (not noticed how long for to comment on the 8 hour stay)

What I love is this is water resistant so will be perfect for the party season around Christmas and will be a god send in summer also fab for those of you who have oily skin!

They are super pigmented and are smudge resistant - another necessity for party season.

This blush is very pink so you only need a little bit but can really blend it out for a natural finish. Personally I do think this would suit someone with a bit more of a darker complexion then my snow white skin as it would look a lot more natural.

I love jelly pong pong lip products so was excited to try out there face products too.

This bronzer is perfect to use as a contour as it has no shimmer!

As I am so pale I don't try out bronzer very often as I panic that I will end up looking like I've had a dodgy spray tan but this product used on cheekbones just wakes my skin up and brightens it up when it looks a bit gloomy.

The blusher in this duo is also gorgeous,a deep dark pink which looks so natural on the cheeks - Love it!

Jelly Pong Pong also say that this even's out redness (which I can't say I have noticed) but if it does this is a super product for New Years eve!

This product is a mini size of the full product which I won in a blog giveaway back in October.

I've never tried any Benefit powder products so was intrigued to try this out.

As the name suggests this powder is a beautiful coral shade with a slight shimmer to it. You would apply this in the same as a contour really,work it into your hairline / temple as well as your cheekbones.

It suits all skin tones and is another product I use if my skins looking gloomy underneath another blush (applied very lightly of course).

A gorgeous product in AW as well as summer months!

Dainty Doll - Powder Blusher in You are My Sunshine & My Girl.

(Unable to find for purchase)

Dainty Doll products are fantastic generally but are super for us fair girls.

I love these two blushes and have worn them to death to be honest.

The blush on the Left My Girl is a girly rosy pink shade and is lovely to wear if your going for a natural makeup day (mascara,flawless skin,lipgloss - ta'dah)

And the blush on the right You are My Sunshine,is a lilac pink blush and is very very subtle but looks gorgeous when you focus more on your eye makeup.

The only downside to these blushers are the amount of shimmer they give off,you are my sunshine could easily pass as a highlight so you really do only need a tiny bit of product on the brush when wearing these.

I have only started contouring and highlighting properly since October,I honestly didn't think a proper contour kit would make much different to my makeup look - boy was I wrong!

If your going to get any of these products I would highly suggest in buying this one - trio's are always a winner.

I have always loved sleek so was super happy to use this.

It comes with a contour powder,Highlight And Rose Gold blush (which alone is £4.99). My kit is in shade Fair but each shade has different products in / shades of product.

The contour is absolutely lovely so pigmented,easy to blend and long lasting!

I love this highlight,so sparkly and catches the light beautifully.

Then there is the beautiful autumnal blush, It is a beautiful shade of rose gold but as the name suggests has some glitter too it and for that reason I think with the highlight in this palette is over kill so I wear this blush when I'm wearing a less sparkly highlight!

Monday, 16 December 2013

So today I am going to do the Christmas tag as I haven't done one in a while.

These questions are the ones from Pointless Blogs youtube video,just changed a little since this isn't a vlog / video.

So here we go...

1). Use one word to describe how excited you are for Christmas.

Eeeeeek?!

2). Whats the best present you've ever been given and why?

Been put on the transplant list for the third time,and of course this is because it saved my life. A Christmas present I will never ever be able to thank my donors enough for. <3

3). Whats the worst present you've ever given and why?

Ummm. I really don't know I like to put a lot of thought into my presents for people so I would like to hope I've never given a bad pressie to someone he he.

4).Your favorite Christmas song.

Ahh this is so hard but I think it could be 'Last Christmas by Wham!' but I do love Michael Buble's Christmas album especially his version of 'Holly Jolly Christmas' & 'Santa Baby' ahh too hard to choose!

5). Whats your favorite Christmas film?

The Grinch!

By far,and I haven't watched it yet so that is so happening on Christmas eve.

6). Show how good you are at wrapping a present.

I'm terrible at it!

The first few look lovely then I run out of patience.

Yeah people always comment on my wrapping...Not in a good way haha.

Gift Bags are the way forward for me!

7). If you could rename one of father Christmas reindeer, what would you name it?

And this if for people who are suffering with liver failure or are just interested in the things around it and want to find out more.

I must include I am not a medical professional and everything wrote in these posts are from personal experience.

I'm hoping that these post's can reassure patients and put there minds at ease to know what procedures involve and to read about them from someone who has actually had it done.

I know when I was ill and I wanted to find out about procedures,there was no posts written by people who had the procedure done themselves so it's impossible for them to tell you how it feels etc accurately.

We must also take into mind that we all have different pain thresholds and such but I will explain things the best I can.

So today's topic : Liver Biopsy.

This was the one thing I was most scared to have done,and having spend so much time on the ward this was the one thing people always asked me about before they went to have it done.I had one done last Friday so figured while it was fresh in my mind (and the wound can still be seen) i'd get this done.

Liver Biopsy is when a small needle is inserted into the liver to collect a tissue sample.The tissue sample is then sent to the lab where it will be tested for whatever reason it needs to be.You will usually have a liver biopsy if your have reoccurring bad liver numbers,jaundice,Enlargement of the liver & if any abnormalities are found on the liver by CT Scan or Ultrasound.Saying that though from personal experience I have always had them after transplant too,as it gives the doctors a more precise idea of what the liver is doing and if it is 'coping' well - so try not to worry to much if you have a biopsy quite soon after transplant!

I know one of the first things I asked was"How dangerous is it?"And Doctor's have always told me there's a very small risk of complications,those being internal bleeds & infection. (Pretty normal with the nature of the procedure.)

& The second question."Does it really hurt?"Now. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain,and I would say this is pretty uncomfortable more then painful - as long as you stay calm and relaxed (seems a ridiculous thing to say I know..)The worst part of the entire procedure really is the local anesthetic.This will be injected into your side and it does sting quite a bit,just like when you go to the dentist but a lot stronger.But I promise once that injections done - the rest is a walk in the park !After then you will just feel pressure and pushing when the doctor inserts the needle and takes the biopsy.And don't forget if you do feel pain - Let them know!They will give you a bit more local anesthetic to make you feel comfortable.

The Procedure Itself.(Again Keep in Mind I am not a medical professional,this is past experience)You Will be Nil by mouth from the evening before.Again this is personal experience as my last one they said I was Nil by mouth from 6AM - So seems can be different times,but you will be nil by mouth.
You Will need to wear a hospital gown,as un flattering as they are and us inpatients like our Pajamas,You'll have to wear one - this is so they can have access to your side.You will need to ask but I have always worn my own pajama bottoms though underneath the gown as they only need access to your side.
Whoever is carrying out the procedure will ask you all the usual questions then get you to lie on your back and pop your right hand under your head.Take this time to start to relax,this is the pint I start to close my eyes and take slow breaths through my nose and out through the mouth.This will help keep you nice and calm.
They may use a ultrasound to have a quick look at your liver and to see where they are going to take the biopsy from.(They will then draw a little mark on the skin to show where they will be taking the biopsy from)Sometimes I open my eyes here to have a look at my liver as it always amazes me to look at the transplant organ.
They will now clean the skin - which is pretty cold,and put a drape over you.This will just be placed over the site of the biopsy so they are just dealing with that bit of skin.The drap may cover part of your face - don't panic!Continue the slow breathing here as it will help the pain for the next few steps.
The Doctor will now insert the local anesthetic into the area to numb it.Now the areas numb you shouldn't feel any pain,just pressure.They will give this a minute or two just to make sure its really numb for you.They will make a small incision a this point so this way they also know if you need more anesthetic or not,so don't worry about being in pain or not been given enough local anesthetic!Now they will take the biopsy.They will warn you before hand,and they will tell you to begin breathing slowly and steadily - that's why I find its easier to begin this step as soon as you lie down.As they insert the needle you will feel pressure and pushing as they insert it into the liver - this part will be uncomfortable but if you continue the steady breathing it will make it easier and the procedure quicker.

The Doctor will now ask you to hold you breath.You will hear a click.And you'll be told to breath out.

Biopsy Done.

They'll then wipe the wound and pop a dressing on and it's all done..Here's a picture of the site well after a week of having it done (top left),you can see all the other little dots around it are scars from previous ones - except the ones on my scar line they were staple scars from my transplants.And you can see the biopsy marks are pretty much unnoticeable after a few days,I personally just scar very easily.

I hope that has put your mind's at ease,or has answered questions for those of you who were just curious.If you want to ask any questions comment below or email me at :talkingtransplants@gmail.comStay Safe & Speak Soon.Katexoxo

Thursday, 12 December 2013

So today I am doing a request that I received from my beautiful friend Leah who asked for a Bronze eye makeup look.

Now of course I have never said I'm any type of make up artist but thought I'd give it a go,

So here is my go at Bronze Autumnal Eyes.

Face Products :

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain.

Collection 2000 Concealer in Fair.

Sleek 'Face Form' In 372 Fair.

So Susan Water Based pure Luminizer

So Susan 8 Hour Cheek Stain

Eye Products :

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless in 001 Black.

Barry M Eye Crayon in 7 Bronze Glitter.

MUA Undress me two Palette in shades - Devotion,Dreamy & Wink.

Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl in Cocoa Bean.

Lip Products :

Miss Patisserie Lip Balm - Peppermint.

CK Lip Gloss Pots in Holiday & Ultimate Edge.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in 18 Prune in Fire.

MUA Sheer Finish Lipgloss in Happy Days.

The Look.

So I started by brushing through my brows and applying my moisturizer,lip balm and YSL's Youth liberator Serum to create a smooth base for my foundation - if you wear primer you can apply this at this stage.

For this look you will want flawless skin so as you can see my skin wasn't too great this day so I applied concealer before my foundation as well as after my foundation application to give my blemishes and heavier coverage.

But if you have clear skin - Skip this part!

I then took two squeezes of my stay matter foundation and worked this into the skin using my real techniques expert face brush.

Make sure you take the foundation down onto the neck to ensure you have a flawless look to the foundation!

I then applied Rimmel's Stay Matte powder with Real techniques setting brush so I could control how much powder I applied a bit better. I applied the powder over the t-zone and my chin to ensure that makeup stays looking flawless!

I then took my So Susan luminizer and applied two drops on my ring finger and spotted this on my cheek bones & brow bones and then took my face brush to blend to create a more natural looking finish.

As this look was a more 'made up look' I took my highlight from my Sleek Face Form using my setting brush again and swept this across my cheek bones (all the places you put the so susan product) and a tad along my nose.

You want to apply your highlight anywhere naturally the light would hit.

Then with my angled barry M blush brush I applied the contour shade from my face form pallete and applied this just under my cheek bones.

To achieve the best contour you will need to pull the fish face to see where you naturally should apply your contour.

I then worked this into the cheekbone and took this up into my temples to slim my face and follow the contour.

Top Tip : If you don't have a contour kit,you can use a bronzer (personally I'd say one without shimmer,but its all down to personal preference really).

Using my Expert face brush I put it onto the product in the tube (You only need a little as this is a cream product) and worked this into the apples of my cheeks for a subtle bit of color.

I took Barry M's Bronze glitter eye crayon and shaded over my eye lid,with this I would suggest just lightly to begin as you will want to blend out with your ring finger to get to this subtle shade so you can build with the other colors but again this comes down to personal choice.

I then took MUA's Gold Shade devotion and patted it down from half way across the eye lid and blended up into the crease of the eye.

Then I Placed MUA's Dreamy Which is a more Brown Gold,and applied this to the outer 1/3 of my eye and worked this into the outer eye and top lash line.

You can stop the eye shadow process here if you wish (put you will need to blend out into the crease abit more for a better finish) but I felt it looked a lot more gold then bronze...

So I went back in with Wink which is A Rusty Brown Color and worked this right into the crease and outer eye.

I also added a touch of a dark matte brown to add some more depth to the outer eye.

Finished the eyes off with the soap and glory liner.

If you can use brown eye liner as it is a lot more flattering on the eyes with the colors used.

I only used liner in the water line and a tiny bit of a liquid liner on the top lash line to exaggerate the lashes a little bit - this also a great way to give the illusion of longer and fuller lashes!

(Worlds most disgusting angle lol)

I used CK's Lip Balm in Holiday - A nudey peach shade,and topped it off with MUA's Lip Sheer Finish in Happy Days.

This is for a more natural finish to the entire look..

But for those of you who want something a bit more festive and 'glamorous' ..

I used CK Lip Balm Pot in Ultimate edge to create a glossy berry base and then I applied YSL's Prune in Fire for this glossy look!